The invention addresses a door handle assembly for a motor vehicle, having a frame-like handle mounting, an operating handle that is movably supported on the handle mounting for the opening of a door or hatch of the motor vehicle by user, a mechanical coupling device, by means of which a movement of the operating handle can be transferred to a vehicle-side closing assembly, and a locking device serving as a mass locking device, which is attached to the handle mounting and is designed such that, with the effect of an acceleration force, it can block an actuation of the closing assembly by means of the operating handle and/or the coupling device.
Door handle assemblies of this type, having a locking device serving as a mass locking device, are intended to prevent acceleration forces occurring during an accident leading to an actuation of the operating handle, or the door handle, respectively, resulting in an unintended opening of the motor vehicle door, which is accompanied by significant risks for a passenger in the vehicle. With typical door handle assemblies for motor vehicles, the handle components that are to be actuated by a user are mechanically coupled to a vehicle-side closing assembly (the actual door locking device). The movement of the door handle, or the operating handle, respectively, is transferred to the closing assembly by means of the mechanical coupling device, and the door is allowed to open. In the case of an accident, the acceleration forces act, in unfavorable conditions, in the manner of an actuation of the handle components, or the operating handle, respectively, by a user, because the handle can be accelerated toward the direction for opening due to inertia. With an operating handle, or a door handle, respectively, without a corresponding locking device, the movement of the handle components in relation to the vehicle leads to a transference to the closing assembly in the vehicle via the mechanical coupling device, and to a releasing of the door. Example scenarios for such situations normally concern a lateral impact with an obstacle or another vehicle. A locking device, serving as a mass locking device, of this type, which is also referred to as a crash lock, is known from the prior art for door handle assemblies.
By way of example, DE 199 29 022 C2 describes a mass locking device of this type in the form of a pivoting member, which can prevent an actuation of the handle in the event of crash. In the case of an accident, forces are exerted on a locking member, and an unintended movement of the handle, likewise caused by the forces acting thereon, is blocked.
A door handle assembly of the type indicated in the introduction is known, for example, from DE 10 2009 053 553 A1. With this door handle assembly, an additional force acts on the operating handle, or the door handle, respectively, by means of a crash lock, by means of which an unintended movement of the operating handle is to be prevented.
Known crash locks can be designed as a pendulum mass, such that, as a result of the forces acting thereon, the crash lock is shifted into the movement path of the operating handle, thus blocking a movement of the operating handle, wherein the pendulum mass returns to its starting position when a force no longer acts on it. In addition, crash locks are also known that lock in a blocking position, and after they have been activated and locked in position, can only be deactivated by means of a targeted intervention in the door handle unit, such that the door handle can again be used in the normal operation thereof. Normally, the shifting of the crash lock from the activation position to the deactivation position, or a normal operating position, respectively, occurs by means of the automatic return of the operating handle to the starting position.
The invention thus assumes the objective of creating a solution that provides a door handle assembly in a structurally simple manner, and inexpensively, which reliably prevents an unintentional unlocking of the door latch during a vehicle accident.